In this episode of Spoleto Backstage, Jeanette Guinn sits down with Spoleto's busiest conductor John Kennedy who will be involved with three of this years performances: Music in Time, Tree of Codes, and You are Mine Own. We also get to hear from the conductor of Pia de Tolomei, Lidiya Yankovskaya.

With string quartets, piano trios, and woodwind quintets often receiving the spotlight, the trombone is seldom a contender for pride of place among instruments featured in chamber music programs. If included at all, it’s often sharing the stage with four other instruments as part of a brass quintet.

But for this year’s Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music Series, the trombone is representing the brass family all by itself.

Roy Haynes is one of the greatest living jazz drummers of a generation, with a career spanning seven decades. In 2016 he joined Jon Batiste and Stay Human on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, performing at age 91. He was McPartland’s guest for this 1996 Piano Jazz session. He reminisces with McPartland about the 1940s Chicago jazz scene and the 1950s Boston scene.

The small town of Bishopville, SC is home to some traditional vacation stops like museums and parks, but also a few quirkier spots like Pearl Fryar’s Topiary Garden. Pearl is happy to speak with his guests about everything from bushes to better education systems. Pearl’s garden, located right in his backyard, is filled with beautiful topiaries, fascinating metal works and pearls of wisdom. His guests are likely to leave not only with fond memories of his landscaping feats, but with a sense of ambition as well.

The Southern Sound Series is an annual event hosted by the Culture and Heritage Museums at McCelvey Center's Lowry Family Theatre in York, South Carolina. The musical acts this year included Nikki Lane, The Steel Wheels, Mark O’Connor Band, and Rhiannon Giddens. While each of these well-renowned artists have developed a sound of their own, their music maintains its southern roots. 

Coordinated playing is essential for the members of an internationally-recognized string quartet... coordinated choreography, not so much.

Unless that quartet is taking on Mark Applebaum’s Darmstadt Kindergarten.

•   Watch JACK peform Mark Applebaum's Darmstadt Kindergarten here.

Dear Viewers and Listeners:

The South Carolina AG + ART TOUR is a free, self-guided tour of designated farms in South Carolina featuring local artisans and farmer's markets. During this tour you will have the opportunity to see first-hand where your food comes from, watch artists in action and purchase their works, dance to the melodies of bluegrass and folksongs, and learn more about rural life. http://www.agandarttour.com

This edition of Narrative features an interview from StoryCorps, an oral history project based on the idea that the stories of everyday people are the most important and interesting of all. At the StoryCorps mobile booth in Columbia in 2016, Amanda Lozon spoke with her parents, Patty and Bill Lozon. Also her grandparents, Patty and Bill adopted Amanda and raised her from age twelve. Here, Patty and Bill tell Amanda what the experience was like.

On this episode of Spoleto Backstage, trumpeter Charleton Singleton talks about the success of Gullah-inspired jazz ensemble Ranky Tanky.

Sonatas and Soundscapes host Bradley Fuller meets up with Marco Ceco, the conductor of the Colla and Sons Marionette’s production of "Il Matromonio Segreto."